Family is Forever
by ViCtOrIoUsGaL41822
Summary: What if Ariel and Eric had another child before Melody? Who had been taken by Ursala's second sister. Now, years later, there have been rumors that the mysterious princess has returned. Melody is determined to find out more about her lost sister and the terrible dark secret her parents have kept from her.
1. The Secret

"Melody…" I heard a soft angelic voice swim into my slumber as a hand combed through my hair. "Melody…honey wake up," I moaned and swatted the hand away…I knew exactly who's voice that was. My mother.

"Moommmm. Go away. It's still sleep time," I moaned as I pulled the large quilt over my head.

She chuckled lightly and gently rubbed my shoulders. "Melody you have to wake up. You're going sailing with your father today. Remember?" She reminded me, pulling the coverings away from my body.

Not opening my eyes, I stretched out my hand to search for the blanket. "Why can't you go with him?" I complained.

Mom sighed. "As thrilling as that idea sounds; this is quality time you and him will be spending together. As I recall, you were the one who first suggested this. And besides, he's really looking forward to it," She exclaimed.

That's when my head shot up. Crap. I turned and gave her a harmless glare. "I hate it when you do that to me," I said.

She gave me a warm smile before rising from my bed. She walked over to my giant window and pulled the curtains away. I cringed and shielded my eyes from the burning light. "Mom! Seriously?"

When she turned back to me, her glowing smiled had vanished. "Melody c'mon, wake up. Hurry and get dressed. You have an hour to meet your father at the dock," She said sternly before leaving my room.

I sighed with annoyance then rose from my bed and walked over to my massive closet. I loved my mom and everything but she could be so…difficult and short tempered. She was a teenager once too and I was 100% sure she did not like being woken up. And by the looks of my surroundings it was pretty early in the morning.

As I looked through my massive amounts of clothes I finally settled on a torn up t-shirt and ripped pants. I was only going to be sailing so I really didn't need to look my best.

After wringing a brush through my matted black hair and giving my teeth a quick brush before I began to make my way to the dock. Walking down the hallway I passed one of the windows that looked out at the cove where the giant wall used to be. It had been taken down months ago and now all I saw was the beautiful, breathtaking ocean.

While I gazed out at the sea, I heard a murmur of voices from a distance. I looked behind me to see that my parents' bedroom was just down the hall. Feeling a bit curious, I tip toed over to the cracked open door and peeked in.

I saw a bob of red hair pass my vision followed by my mother's distraught voice. "Eric how do you expect me to believe that? How do you even expect yourself to believe it?"

I heard my dad sigh and rub his temple while sitting on their massive bed. "I don't Ariel…I just…Tommy is one of my best friends. He would never lie to me, especially about something like this,"

Confusion clouded my mind. I listened carefully as my mom huffed in frustration. "Well I think he's either insane or a liar. There is absolutely no way she could be alive after all of this time…it's not possible," I could tell from the tone in her voice she sounded hurt.

I pulled my head back away from sight when I saw dad rise up from the bed and walk over to mom. He pulled her into an embrace. "Ariel…darling. I know it seems hard to believe, but if there has been some kind of sighting of her…I want to look into it. Even though it's been seventeen years, I still haven't given up hope. Have you?" He questioned.

What in the world were they talking about? I had half a mind to burst into the room and question them myself, but obviously this was a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear. But I was defiantly going to find out sooner or later. I was about to leave before I got caught but then I heard my mom respond.

"No. Never. But…don't let it take you over. Please. Go out today and enjoy your time with Melody," There was a pause with what I assume was a kiss then my mother spoke again. "And speaking of Melody…she can't know. Yet,"

A held in a gasp as anger and betrayal flooded through my body. They were hiding something from me _again._ After all we had been through the last time they failed to tell me something about my life…they apparently hadn't learned anything.

Swallowing tears I heard my dad say "I gotta' go" followed by footsteps towards the door. Knowing I would be in deep trouble I bolted from my hiding spot and quickly hid behind the window curtains when he came out of the room. I peered out when I was sure he was gone and quickly scampered away, not before hearing my mother's distant sobs.

X

A few minutes later I trudged down to the dock. After hearing the conversation between my parents, I for one did not want to spend the entire day with my father. I honestly could not believe that they had been keeping another deep secret from me. I was determined to find out.

"Melody!" My head shot up when I heard my dad call out to me. He stood beside a large sailboat with warm smile on his face. He had blue sailor's shirt on with dark pants and mud boots. He looked ready for a day of sailing. I sighed and stopped in my tracks. I can't stay mad at him. At least not today.

"Hey dad," I said, returning the smile and continued to walk towards him.

When I approached him he pulled me into a hug. "You ready to sail?" he asked with excitement.

I hugged him back then looked up at him. "I can't wait,"

"Then let's go. After you, your highness," He said with a tease and gave me a bow.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes "Good one dad," He knew how much I disliked the whole princess thing and he loved making fun of me.

When we had boarded the boat, dad taught me the names of the different parts before we actually went out to sea. I had wanted him to teach me how to sail because I thought it would give me an excuse to be around the water more but as the day wore on, I was just plain old bored. The things he was telling me made absolutely no sense and there were a ton of words that I had never heard before.

As hard as I tried I could not concentrate on anything that had to do with the boat. Dad didn't seem to be aware of my boredom, for he just kept talking, getting lost in his own world.

My mind kept wandering to the water and I started to think about what my undersea friends were up to. I hadn't seen Tip or Dash or even my grandfather King Triton in forever. I was just about to ask dad if we could stop for a swim when I big boom of thunder rumbled above us. We both looked up to see an enormous black cloud hovering in the sky.


	2. The Rainless Storm

**A/N: Heyy guys…so in the first chapter I forgot to write an intro so im sorry bout that! And im also sorry for that chapter being so short…just kind of wanted to get something out there! I hope you guys enjoy this story…i think im really going to have a fun time writing it. **

Ariel walked slowly through the castle, her head bent down causing her to gaze at her feet. In all her years of living on land, she had never imagined that it would be like this. She felt a wave of nausea swipe through her stomach as she thought about the news that Eric had just delivered to her. Even though Tommy was one of Eric's dearest friends, Ariel could not find herself to believe it. There was absolutely no possible way that it could be true.

But still, the look on Eric's face, the hope in his eyes, showed Ariel that he believed it. And that he would be determined to discover the truth. However, it nearly destroyed him seventeen years ago. Ariel knew what she needed to do. She needed to confront Tommy herself.

Ariel sighed as she approached the massive door leading to the front of the castle. She looked around to make sure no one was near and then pulled the door open. When she stepped into the outside air, she noticed an enormous grey cloud hovering over the ocean. Her eyes widened when she realized that Eric and Melody were out there and almost went to retrieve help, but then stopped herself. She knew Eric was a terrific sailor and Melody was part mermaid after all. She took a relaxing breath, telling herself they would be alright.

Melody. Ariel's heart ached knowing that she had been keeping yet another terrible secret from her daughter. At the time, Ariel thought that they had no choice but to not tell Melody. For years, Eric had attempted to convince her to tell her daughter the truth, but with the threat of Morgana, Ariel would not put that burden on Melody.

Melody had felt heartbroken and betrayed when she found out about Atlantica and Ariel's life in the sea. Ariel hated herself for it, and she hated herself for this too, but this secret was much more dangerous than the last. If Melody found out, who knows what would happen.

As Ariel made her way to the village outside the castle, she couldn't stop the tears that had been forcing themselves out of her eyes. This was the last thing on Earth she wanted to do, but it what Tommy said was true, then the kingdom was absolutely not safe. As queen, it was Ariel's duty to protect her people. Ariel shook the trembling emotions out of her mind and held her head high when she saw the village come into view.

X

"Ummm…dad, we've got a problem," I said blankly, not taking my eyes off of the rolling clouds above me.

"And what's that?" He said and came to my side. Not looking at him, I pointed up to the sky. "Oh boy," He muttered, taking in slow breaths. "Looks like we are going to have some trouble,"

I was about to respond when a sudden wave knocked the side of the boat. The impact caused my legs to buckle and I stumbled against a barrel. "Oww," I said as I struggled to stand back up.

"It's alright Melody. We'll head back now. Don't worry, we're going to be fine," Dad said as he frantically began pulling ropes and other such things, then started to turn the boat around.

Thunder roared through our ears and I saw a flash of lighting out of the corner of my eye while I tied a knot to secure the mast. "Dad. Calm down. I'm not scared," I said, rolling my eyes.

While I was pulling out life preserves for us, another giant wave slammed against our boat. It knocked me to the ground and I flew across the boat, banging my head against the railing. I moaned slightly as a sharp shooting pain zipped through my head.

"Melody!" I heard dad scream. I looked over and saw him trying to reach me, but the constant waves kept him from moving.

"Dad, I'm fine!" I called out, rubbing the back of my head. I grabbed the railing and hauled myself up to a stand. I gazed down at the dark churning waves. I then shifted my eyes up into the sky. The clouds were as black as night and thunder boomed in the distance, but yet, no rain had come. Something was not right about this storm.

I jumped when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I turned to meet the worried eyes of my father. "Are you alright Melody?" He asked.

I ignored his question. "There's no rain dad. I don't understand it," I said with confusion, looking back at the sea. I could hear him beginning to answer, but my mind blocked out everything else as the ocean began to glow.

X

"Ariel! What a pleasant surprise!" Eric's friend Tommy said with a bright smile on his face when she stepped into his bakery. He came out from behind the counter to greet her.

Ariel returned the smile and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you Tommy. How are you and Isabel doing?" She asked.

Tommy pulled out a rag and wiped the side of his face. "Oh we're doing just fine thank you. Been kept busy with this place. How bout you? How's Melody?"

Ariel sighed. "She's as good as a teenager can be," She said and they shared a laugh. Silence then fell between them. Ariel looked around the bakery, not knowing how to approach her purpose of visiting.

Tommy noticed the troubled look in her eyes and realized why she had come. "Eric told you didn't he?"

Ariel's lip trembled slightly and she nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Yes," She whispered.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck and let out a held in breath. "And you don't believe it do you?" He said, already knowing the answer.

Ariel then looked at him. "How can I Tommy? Do you honestly expect me to?" She said a bit harsher than she intended.

Tommy shook his head. "No Ariel, I don't, and neither does he…but…" He paused, not wanting to continue.

Ariel already knew what he was going to say. "But it gave him hope and he wants to start looking again," She stated.

Tommy sighed. "Look, Ariel. I don't know what I saw. And from what I could tell it did not look good. But…I knew. There could be no other possible explanation. I've gone through it over and over again in my head. She's back,"

Ariel couldn't hold in her tears any longer. "No, Tommy she's not. She can't be," She choked out, closing her eyes.

Tommy moved closer to her. "Ariel…please. You have to trust me," he pleaded.

"No! Tommy! I can't!" Ariel yelled, pulling herself away from him. "My daughter is gone! I didn't want to believe it at first but when Melody was born I knew that I had to accept it. For her sake,"

"But what about your sake?" He said sternly.

His question stopped her. She pursed her lips and looked down at the ground. "I will always put my family first Tommy," She finally answered.

"So that means holding in the grief of losing a child?" Tommy demanded. He knew how much Ariel had been hurting for so long, but she never seemed to show it. "You think that keeping this from her would hide your sorrow?"

Ariel refused to look at him. She knew he was right. That bastard. "You don't know anything," She said angrily.

Tommy folded his arms across his chest. "You're right Ariel. I don't know what you've gone through. But I do know that grief is grief, no matter what kind. And holding it in too long will cause some terrible consequences,"

"So what do you suppose I do?" She questioned.

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Tell her the truth,"

Ariel closed her eyes, knowing the reality of his answer. She could not keep this from Melody any longer. Keeping a secret from her nearly cost Melody her life, and hers and Eric's as well. Ariel could not put their family in danger again.

But before Ariel could respond, a monstrous boom of thunder roared through the sky and a flash of lightning lit up the dark town. Ariel turned around just in time to be greeted by the shattering of the bakery window.

X

My eyes widened in horror as I watched the glowing water form into some kind of whirlpool. "Daddy…what's happening?" I said with fear.

"I don't know sweetie," He replied before firmly gripping my hand. We stood there watching as the hole grew larger until suddenly a long, dark object began to rise out of its center.

I felt my body tremble and tried to move my frozen feet far away from whatever it was. I couldn't take my eyes off of it as the object turned out to be living being. A woman.

And an ugly woman at that. She had pale, grey skin and a wild mob of white hair with light purple streaks. Black covered her from chest down. Instead of legs, there were tentacles. She gazed down at us with evil eyes, her red lips pursed into a hideous smile…almost like…Morgana the sea-witch!

I gasped at the sudden realization and pulled myself closer to my father. "No," I whispered fearfully. It wasn't possible. She couldn't be alive.

"Narissa," I heard my dad growl to the terrifying creature. My shot up and I gave him a confused look. Narissa? Who was that?

"Prince Eric. How lovely to see you dear," The sea-witch replied. Her scaly voice sent a shiver down my spine. It sounded so much like Morgana's. "And who might this charming young girl may be," She asked, cocking her head to side. Suddenly I felt a tight grip around my waist that started to pull me away from my father. I panicked and clutched his shirt, only to be ripped from his grasp. I cried out to him, only to be drowned out by her menacing cackle.

Her slimy tentacle squeezed my flesh as she held me in the air. I looked over at my dad who had pulled out his sword. "Let her go!" he yelled!

The sea-witch, Narissa, only laughed again. She ignored him and turned me around so I could face her. I shot her an ice-cold glare.

Taken back, Narissa placed her hand against her heart, and then pulled me away from her. "My my, she is defiantly your child. She's got your looks and Ariel's spunk," She said with mockery. "What's the matter? Did you lose the first one Eric?" She chuckled.

I looked at her in utter confusion. What was she talking about? What first one? She noticed my lost face and her eyes widened with surprise. "You mean they didn't tell you?" She asked me.

My heart beat rapidly as I shook my head slowly. "Didn't tell me what?" I whispered.

Narissa shook her head in despair. "Oh Prince Eric. When are you ever going to learn?"

I tore my eyes from hers to look at my dad. "What is she talking about dad?" I asked accusingly.

Dad closed his eyes with a sigh and bent his head down. "Melody…" He began until Narissa interrupted him.

"You and Ariel really thought you could keep something like this from her?" She growled. I turned my head back to look at her. "Well in that case," She looked down at me with a smile and she ran a bony finger through my hair. "Melody dear, would you like to meet your sister?"

My eyes widened in shock. "M-my sister?" I muttered.

I heard my dad whisper "no" but I didn't look at him. I was frozen in my own thoughts. Narissa chuckled lightly and extended her hand out, then turned me to follow to where she was pointing.

I watched in horror as I watched a small being leap out of the water and tackle my father. "Dad!" I screamed and struggled against my bounds, only to have Narissa tighten her grip on me.

I watched as my dad fought the creature holding him down to the ground. She had fire-red hair just like my mom's and a long, purple tail that whipped back and forth in the air. She was a mermaid.

**Yay! I'm so happy that I made this chapter longer! I hope you all enjoyed this…i can't wait to write some more. Even though it's the second chapter ive been having so much fun writing it **


	3. A Princess Returned

**A/N: Guys my brain is on fire! This is the most I have written ever! Yay! A writing record for me Two chapters in one day! Whoo! I really hope you guys are enjoying this story so far. I honest to god am having the time of my life writing it! well here's the third chapter! Enjoy!**

"Ariel!" Tommy yelled as he leaped towards her. He pulled her into his arms and they both fell to the ground as he protected her from the flying shards of glass. Screams echoed through the streets as other windows continued to break.

Moments later, Tommy lifted himself up slightly to give the small woman air. "Ariel? Are you alright?"

With her eyes closed, Ariel took in sharp breaths. "I…I think so," She managed to say. She finally opened her eyes and looked around. "What was that?"

Tommy rose to his feet then helped Ariel up. "I don't know," His gaze turned to the broken window followed by the front door ripped off its hinges. "Aw shit," He muttered, staring at the mess. "This is going to take weeks to repair," He said, noticing he was talking to himself. "Ariel?" He called and did a full circle before walking out of the bakery.

When he found her, Ariel was standing in the middle of the road, her hands covering her mouth as she stared in terror at shattered town. "Oh my god," He stammered, running a hand through his hair.

Every single door of every shop had been ripped off, and every window was broken. In the distance, a small fire blew on top of a cart. Food, packages, torn clothing and many other items littered the streets. And the strangest thing of all, there was not a soul in sight.

"I'm going to go look around, see if anyone's hurt," Ariel said finally, turning to Tommy. "You go that way and do the same," She pointed in the other direction.

Tommy nodded. "Alright, I need to find Isabel too," He said. "And Ariel?" he called out to her when she started walking away. "Be careful," She gave him a small smile before rushing out of sight.

X

A mermaid? My sister was a mermaid? But if she was my sister, then why would she be attacking our father…if he was her father. Like I knew. I was so clueless right now. "Hey!" I called out to her, only to wish that I hadn't when she looked up at me.

Her face was unlike any other mermaid I had ever seen. Most mermaids I met were beautiful and kind, always having smiles on their faces. Not this mermaid though; oh no she was far from happy. While she was unconditionally beautiful and her flaming red hair flowed down her shoulders just the way Mom's did, her eyes glowed a deep yellow and her face was in a twisted evil smile. Just looking at her sent chills down my spine. There was no way that thing was related to me.

When she opened her mouth to hiss at me, I saw tiny pointed fangs in her jaw. She was no ordinary mermaid. "Hello baby sister," She said in a sickly muffled voice.

"Ciera?" I heard my dad whisper. I looked down to see that his face was white as snow and his body was frozen solid. He gazed at the mermaid with fear, but also with a certain longing and hope that I had never seen in him before.

"Hi daddy," She sneered, followed by a loud cackle. "Miss me?" She placed a hand on his chest, until he slipped into unconsciousness.

I gasped, a little too loudly, which caused the mermaid-Ciera- to shift her gaze back to me. She rolled away from my dad and lay there until her tail transformed into legs. She stood up and walked towards me. I noticed that not only had her legs transformed, but the rest of her body did as well. She even had clothes on.

Her hair was no longer a flaming mess, now it was smooth and tame, framing her flawless face. Her eyes weren't an evil yellow, but a soft sea-green. She looked so much like my mother it was ridiculous. I knew without a doubt it was her child. I trembled at the thought that _this_ was what they had been hiding from me. I had a sister; and an evil one at that.

She broke my train of thought my pinching her fingers in between my cheeks, examining all of my features. "My god we _are_ related," She said with disgust. I shook my face out of her grip, glaring at her. She smirked and ran her hand through my tangled hair. "You got Mom's thick hair too. Isn't it great?" She asked casually. I said nothing; instead I stared at my unconscious father. _Dad…wake up._ I silently pleaded.

"You're not much of a talker are you sis?" She said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I kept my mouth shut as she exchanged glances with Narissa who chuckled and slipped me into another tentacle.

Ciera then began to pace back and forth in front of me. "Hmmm…now that I have a new sister, I guess it sould be _my _job to show her the ropes. What do you think Narissa?" She asked the sea-witch.

"I think that's a fantastic idea Ciera. Wouldn't mommy and daddy love to see their two daughters working together?" Narissa exclaimed.

Ciera clapped her hands together and gave me a smile. "Oh they would! That would be so lovely. After all, we are princesses aren't we Melody?" She cooed.

Alright. Enough was enough. Dad and I needed to get out of here. "Look," I began. "I don't know who or what the hell you are. All I know is that you are absolutely not any sister of mine. So why don't you just do what you've got to do any leave my family alone!" I said angrily.

Ciera muffled a laugh. "Oh how sweet, the little princess wants to protect her family. Well I've got news for you sweetheart," She leaned in close enough so only I could hear. "You have no idea what you're up against," She growled. Then, turning away from me, she walked back over to Dad. "Besides, I think it's been a pretty long time since I've seen mom and dad," She paused. "Speaking of which, where is Mommy? Don't think I saw her when I paid a visit to the castle," She said with a shrug.

My eyes widened. She went to the castle? Looking for my mom? "If you touch her, I'll…" I began to say with gritted teeth until Ciera's humorless laugh interrupted me.

"You'll what? You seriously think you could take on me?" She put her hands on her hips. "I heard about your little fiasco with Morgana. You stabbed her with a giant fork. How terrifying," I looked down in embarrassment at my lack of abilities. She continued to mock me. "And how your giant blubber friend saved you from a deathly fall. Face it Melody. You've got _nothing_ on me,"

I sighed in defeat. This was not looking well. How was I going to get out of this? I gazed around my surroundings; where were Tip and Dash when I needed them?

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head. If I counted it right, we weren't that far away from the grove that my mom used to keep under the sea, which meant we had to be close to Atlantica. If I was able to get out of this stupid sea-witch's grasp, I could go get help. I stared down at the disgusting tentacle wrapped around my waist and knew what I had to do.

I took a deep breath and said a quick prayer before I quickly clamped my jaw around her slimy skin. Oh god. Oh god. This is gross. Ugh! I think I'm going to puke.

Just as I had hoped, Narissa screamed in pain and released me from her grip. I fell to the ground but quickly leaped to my feet and bolted to the side of the boat, ready to jump into the water.

"Oh no you don't!" I heard Ciera yell before I felt a tight pull on my hair. I cried in pain as she yanked me into her arms. "Where do you think you're going sis? Gonna' swim all the way to mommy?" She hissed. I struggled, trying hard to free myself with no success. "Problem with that is honey, you don't have one of these," she pointed down to her tail that taken its place on her lower body. In some twisted way, she was able to stand on it like it was a pair of legs.

"Now what are we going to do to make sure you don't run off again?" She sneered at me, her tail turning back into legs.

"I say we freeze her and send her to the bottom of the ocean," Narissa snarled, approaching us. "Or maybe run her through with a ship," Her green eyes sunk into mine. "Since after all that's what _her_ family did to my dear sisters," Sisters? It took me a while but I was finally able to put two and two together. Narissa was the sister of Ursula and Morgana.

Ciera rolled her eyes. "Ursula and Morgana were fools. They abused the powers of the Trident and they paid for it," She ignored Narissa's glare and fixed her gaze on my dad. "Hmm…I think I know what to do," She looked at me again before setting me down. "I'm going to let you go Melody dear, but just this one time, and I think I'm going to show daddy my new home," She said with an evil grin and walked over to him.

"No!" I cried, but before I could move Narissa had me trapped in her tentacles again. The next thing I knew I was tossed off the boat and plunged into the water. By the time I returned to the surface, our boat was gone, along with my father. "Dad?!" I yelled, searching around for any sign of it. "Daddy!" I called out again, tears now forming in my eyes. No. This wasn't happening. How could they have vanished in a matter of seconds?

As I swam around frantically, I could feel myself slipping away with every passing second. I couldn't fall asleep now, not when my father had been kidnapped by my evil sister.

I couldn't help it though, I was so tired. I couldn't fight the exhaustion any longer. As my heavy eyelids began to close, the last thing I remember seeing was a big brown blur coming towards me.

X

After a few hours of gathering stragglers and picking up the village, Ariel noticed that it was getting well into the evening and that Eric and Melody had not returned from sailing. She said a quick goodbye to Tommy and Isabel then retrieved Max from the castle and headed to the docks.

When she reached it, she saw that Eric's small boat wasn't in its place in the harbor. She sighed, hoping that everything was alright. She took one last glance out at the sea then decided to head down to the beach for a walk. She called for Max to follow her then made her decent.

After a few minutes of walking, carrying her shoes in her hand, Ariel stopped to gaze out at the water. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the salty air. Ariel really missed the sea more than she would care to admit. She jumped a little when a wave washed up on the shore and soaked her toes. She looked down at her feet and smiled to herself.

Suddenly, Ariel heard a voice in the distance, interrupting her thoughts. She perked her head up and looked around to see who was calling her name. Max then started to bark and run around frantically. "What is it boy?" She asked him. When Ariel looked up she saw three objects coming towards her. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look.

When they came into view, Ariel let out a frightful gasp and her shoes dropped to the ground. It was Tip and Dash and… "Melody!" She cried, racing into the water. She was far from caring about her dress getting wet.

When she reached the trio, she took her limp daughter out of Dash's grip and dragged her onto the shore. "What happened?" She asked, sitting down and placing Melody in her lap.

"Geez I dunno," Tip said, scratching his head. "We were uh…what were we doing Dash?"

Dash sent Tip a glare then looked back at Ariel. "We got lost in the storm and when we came back to the surface, we saw her floating there. She would have drowned if we didn't get there in time," He said, his voice filled with worry.

Ariel started to shake as she held Melody close to her chest. "Oh Melody…thank you for saving her…Wait!" She stopped, realizing that someone was missing. "Eric!" She looked at Tip and Dash, but they just shook their heads.

"She was alone," Tip said regretfully.

Ariel felt soft sobs rising in her chest. "No," She whispered. Eric couldn't be gone. He was one of the best sailors in the kingdom, he couldn't have drowned. But with the sight of her unconscious daughter, Ariel knew that he was. She buried her face into Melody's hair as she continued to cry. As if he knew what had happened, Max began to whine and curled himself up beside Ariel.

Tip and Dash bowed their heads in sorrow, they knew that they should leave but they couldn't leave their friend and her broken mother.

Suddenly, Ariel felt movement in her arms. She pulled her face away to see Melody's eyes struggle to open. "Mom?" She whispered when she saw her mother's face come into her line of vision.

Ariel smiled tearfully. "Melody, oh thanks goodness," She drew her daughter in a tight embrace, Melody wrapping her arms around Ariel's neck. Max leaped up and licked both of their faces.

When Melody was able to move, she saw her two best friends smiling before her. "Tip! Dash! You saved me!" She said happily, throwing her arms around them. They all tumbled into the water with laughter.

While Ariel was happy to see Melody alive, she needed to know what had happened to her husband. "Melody, sweetheart, where's your father?" She asked.

Melody pulled away from her friends and looked into her mother's sad eyes with her own. "Ciera's back,"

**Wow, okay this was obnoxiously long. Sorry about that! **But I really want to get this story going! I was going to wait a while before I put this one up but I know that I could not sleep with this things just sitting here in my computer, calling out begging to be put up. I could probably write all night if I wanted to! **But that would be very bad if I did that, considering I start school in a few days. Anywho, I hope you guys liked this one I really haven't written a chapter like this in a while and boy was it oober fun! Let me know what ya'll are thinking of this story so far!**


	4. The Nightmare

**A/N: Heyy guys so here's the next chapter! This kind of explains somewhat of how Ciera came into Narissa's clutches, but more will be explained later on when Melody learns the truth. This was rather hard to write because I had to conjure up a story line instead of just throwing stuff out. Well I hope you guys like it anyway!**

Days passed and there had still been no sign of Eric, or the witches. After Melody had explained what happened on the boat, Ariel had ordered search parties, both on land and sea, for her lost husband. The kingdom had been hectic ever since.

Melody had felt somewhat responsible for her father's disappearance. She knew deep down that she should have stayed with him instead of trying to run away like a scared little girl. _Melody you're such an idiot_. She said to herself while sitting outside on her balcony.

But, in all honesty, Melody was scared. She had been scared to death and still was at that very moment. Her mother hadn't yet confronted her about the story of Ciera, which frightened her even more. Melody wanted to be furious with her parents for keeping this from her, but knowing what could happen to her father overpowered her anger.

Melody also knew how distraught and worried her mother was. She saw the hurt and terror in Ariel's eyes when she explained the heartbreaking scene. Once the search parties began, Ariel had been out of sight. She was either out at sea with her father, or on land with a parade of the kingdom's best soldiers.

But when Ariel did come home, Melody would walk past her room to check on her mother, only to hear distant sobs on the other side of the closed door. It broke Melody's heart at the current condition of her mother.

Staring out at the open water, Melody began to feel a certain courage and strength that she hadn't felt in quite awhile. She needed to go after them. She owed it not only to her parents, but to herself as well. No matter what it took, she was going to find Ciera.

Melody rose from her chair and walked to her bedroom door. She opened it slowly and peeked her head out before tiptoeing quietly out of the room. When she approached her parents' room, she walked in as slow as she possibly could until she reached a sleeping Ariel.

Melody held in tears when she saw the destroyed face of her mother. Even in sleep Melody could tell that her father's absence was taking its toll on her mom. "I love you mom," She whispered before walking out of the room.

X

"_Momma! Can I please go swimming with Daddy and Max?" A six-year-old Ciera begged her mother, looking up at the Queen with pleading blue eyes. _

_Ariel sighed while she struggled to slip a purple gown over her wiggling daughter's head, a task she had been trying to accomplish for several minutes. "Ciera hold still. We don't have time for swimming right now. We need to get you ready for the dinner party,"_

_Ciera grabbed the dress and stopped her mother from pulling it the rest of the way. "I don't want to go to a stupid dinner!" She pouted. "Can't we all just go swimming for a little bit? Please! I want to see Flounder," She pondered. "Maybe Grandpa and Sebastian too!" She continued, the idea getting more and more exciting._

_Ariel pursed her lips and gazed out the window to the open sea. The mention of her best friend and her father tugged at her heart. It had been months since she had seen any of her friends or her family. She looked down at the small girl who had placed her delicate hand on Ariel's cheek. "Please momma?" She whispered, her eyes shining with hope._

_Ariel couldn't help but smile. She ran her fingers through Ciera's long red curls that were identical to her own. "Alright sweetie, we'll go for a quick swim," She chuckled at Ciera's excited squeals and pulled the dress off of her shoulders then put it away. "Now go put something on and I'll find your father," She stood up, watched her daughter skip happily into her closet, and then left the room._

_Half an hour later, Ariel and Eric walked hand in hand as they watched Ciera and Max run through the waves along the shore line. Happiness filled their hearts at the site of their gorgeous daughter playing in the sand. _

_Ariel leaned against Eric and lovingly squeezed his hand. No words could describe the amount of joy she was feeling. Her life couldn't have turned out more perfectly. She lived in a beautiful home with the man of her dreams and now they had a wonderful daughter as a result of their love._

_Ariel felt her feet suddenly stop and tugged on Eric's arm to bring him back to her. He looked at her, confusion drawn on his face. "What is it? Something wrong?" He asked quickly._

_Ariel shrugged and gave him a glowing smile. "I love you," She said, threading her arms around his neck. _

_Eric chuckled lightly and wrapped his arms around her waist. "And I love you," He leaned his forehead against hers before they both moved in for a kiss. _

"_Eww! Mommy and Daddy are kissing!" Ciera's giggling voice finally broke the couple apart. Ariel and Eric laughed at their daughter's completely grossed out face. _

"_And now I think it's Ciera's turn for a kiss!" Eric said slyly and released Ariel to chase after the little girl. Ciera squealed with laughter and bolted away from him. He followed her into the shallows and scooped her up in his arms, ignoring her giggling protests. _

"_No daddy no!" Ciera laughed as he smothered her tiny face with kisses. Max pranced around their feet, barking happily. Eric finally set his daughter down, only to have her grab his hand and pull him down into the water. _

_They fell together laughing and began to splash one another. Ariel watched with a warm smile on her face. Her gaze then shifted to the open water, a silent sigh leaving her lips. Oh how she missed being in the sea. "I miss you daddy," She whispered, a small tear sliding down her cheek._

"_Momma! Come play with us!" Ariel turned her head when she heard Ciera call out to her. Ariel was about to slip her shoes off when a giant wave suddenly came crashing down on Eric, Ciera, and Max. Ariel watched in horror as her family disappeared from her sight. _

"_Eric!" She called and broke into a run towards the churning water. She was stopped when the sky suddenly turned black and an evil cackle echoed in the distance, followed by booming thunder. A shiver split down Ariel's spine; that laugh sounded way too familiar. _

_Searching frantically for any sign of her husband and child, she saw Max pop out of the rolling waves. "Max! Come here boy," She called frantically to the panicking dog. She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his soaking fur. "Where are they boy?" She asked him desperately. _

_Just as the words left her mouth, a swirling pool of water formed in front of them. Max and Ariel backed away until they were in the sand as a huge looming figure burst out of the sea. Ariel's eyes widened in horror at the terrifying sight. Holding in its black tentacles was a crying Ciera who was soaked to the bone. "Ciera!" She screamed._

_Shock was followed by recognition as Ariel examined the creature. It couldn't be. "Ursula!" She growled._

_The sea witch threw her head back with a laugh. "Guess again sweetheart," She looked at the young woman with glaring yellow eyes. "Ursula is only my pin head sister," She lowered herself until she was at eye level with Ariel. "I am Narissa," She said proudly. _

_Ariel looked at her daughter who was looking back at her with fear. "Let her go," She demanded, her eyes turning back to Narissa. Max stood at her side, growling._

_The sea-witch just smiled at her. She brought the tentacle holding the child to her chest and planted a wet kiss on her cheek. "Oh don't cry sweetheart, everything will be alright," She cooed, stroking Ciera's tangled hair. Ciera closed her eyes, trembling in her bounds as her face paled. _

_Tears rimmed Ariel's eyes. "Please, let her go," She begged. _

_Narissa laughed again. "You mer-folk are so emotional," She said, rolling her eyes. "No wonder dear Ursula turned you all into weeds," She sneered. _

_Ariel felt anger rise in her chest. "What do you want?" She asked, eyeing the sea-witch with suspicion. _

_Narissa pulled herself onto a nearby rock, cradling Ciera back and forth with her tentacles. Ciera continued to cry silently, her arms outstretched to her mother. "What do I want?" She asked absentmindedly. "Well dear, there are a lot of things that I want. But I guess you are wondering what my purpose is here," _

_Ariel didn't say a word. She kept her eyes locked on her daughter. She pleaded silently that Eric was alright._

"_Well I was swimming about, traveling the seas when I heard that my sister Ursula had conjured up a new idea to ruin King Triton," Narissa continued. "By the time I returned to this neck of the woods, Ursula was gone and some smelly little mermaid had turned human," She said, glaring at Ariel. _

_The queen held her head high, returning the glare. "What does it matter to you?" She questioned._

_Narissa smirked at her. "Oh my dear," She said sweetly, and then her voice turned into a snarl. "It means everything to me!" Before Ariel could respond, she moved away from the rock and back into the water. "See the difference between Ursula and I is that while she wanted to control the mer-people, I want them to see themselves as they truly are,"_

_Ariel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?" _

_Narissa chuckled. "Ariel, come now. You couldn't possibly think that you were just meant to be a pretty face," She said as if it were simple logic. When Ariel didn't respond, Narissa threw her arms in the air. "You're a mermaid for crying out loud! You have powers," She hissed._

"_Powers?" Ariel said._

_Narissa shook her head. "Oh Ariel. Did you really think that you have that gorgeous voice just to impress the boys" She moved closer to the woman. "You're a siren,"_

_Taken aback, Ariel's eyes widened. "I'm a what?" She stammered._

"_A siren dear. A beautiful creature of the sea, meant to lure sailors to their death with their enchanting voices," Narissa replied. "Which is more or the less the reason that stupid prince fell in love with you. However, your idiot Triton has brainwashed everyone in Atlantic into straying away from their powers,"_

_Ariel stared at her in shock. "You're insane," She said, shaking her head, refusing to believe what she just heard._

_Narissa chuckled. "Slightly crazed, but never insane," She said with amusement. "Well back to important matters. While bringing you back to the sea is hopeless, I figured that retrieving a much more younger soul would be bettering suiting for me," She pulled a trembling Ceira closer to her as she spoke._

_Ariel gasped. "No!" She said instantly, making a grab for her daughter._

_Narissa shook her head and pulled Ciera back. "This child here has such a darling voice, just like her mother, and still has so much to learn about the undersea world. I thought that I would take it upon myself to teach her," She said with a laugh._

"_No!" Ariel cried again and plunged into the water. "Please!" She trudged through the waves as fast as she could, only to have Narissa moving farther and farther away from her. She stopped when the water reached her waist. _

_Narissa looked at her with pity before turning to Ciera. "Say goodbye to your mummy sweetheart," She sneered._

"_Momma!" Ciera screamed at the top of her lungs, squirming in the sea-witch's grasp. _

_Tears streaming down her face, Ariel struggled to move, but the waves smashed against her body, pushing her back to shore. "Ciera!" She cried out to her daughter. She could hear Max's bark behind her as he ran around the beach helplessly. _

_Narissa's laughs drowned out the girls' cries. Water started to swirl around her, sucking them into the sea. "Oh, before I forget. I can't leave you alone dear. Here's your useless prince," With a snap of her fingers, Eric's body floated to the surface. _

"_Eric!" Ariel shrieked and bolted towards him. She pulled him into a tight grip and hulled him to the shore. When his body hit the sand, Ariel barreled back into the ocean. "No!" She screamed just as Narissa disappeared with her daughter into the watery depths._

_X_

"Ciera!" Ariel yelped, waking up from her nightmare. Heavy breaths escaped her lips as she took in her surroundings. She was alone in her giant bedroom. Dry tears stained her face and a cold sweat beat across her forehead. Hard shivers filtered through her body and she rubbed her arms frantically to erase the goose bumps.

Fresh tears threatened to expose themselves from her eyes. "Eric," She whispered. Ariel missed him so much that it hurt. When Ciera had first been taken from them, Ariel had constant nightmares for months and Eric had always been there to comfort her. He'd take her in his arms, whispering soothing words, and would hold her until she fell back asleep. Even when Morgana had threatened Melody's life, Eric had been there to reassure her that their daughter was safe. But now that he was gone, her heart ached painfully for him.

Melody. Ariel had hardly seen her daughter in the last few days, due to her frantic searches for her husband. She felt awful for the terrible secret that she had kept from her daughter, but Ariel saw how worried Melody was about her father and knew it didn't concern her; for now.

Even though it was at a very late hour, Ariel needed the company of her daughter. If there was another soul besides Eric that could keep Ariel at ease, it was Melody. Throwing her blankets aside, Ariel rose from the bed and padded out of the room, her bare feet shivering with each step against the cold floor.

When she reached Melody's room, she hesitated before walking inside. She walked with a tired slowness until she approached the large bed. She stared at the bundle of blankets before gently rubbing what she thought was Melody's back. Confusion flooded her brain when the mob was too soft to be the body of her daughter. She pulled the blankets away to see a pile of pillows instead of a sleeping girl. "Melody!" Ariel cried in agony before burying her face in her hands and breaking out into painful sobs.

**So what did you guys think of it? Poor Ariel! I really made her suffer in this one:/ I feel like this was one of my better ones. While it was difficult to write, I still enjoyed it nevertheless and I hope you did too let me know how you guys like it! I love hearing from you all! **


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